


tipsy

by vartamin



Series: Zutara Week 2018 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alcohol is the Best Matchmaker, Dorks in Love, F/M, Oneshot, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 02:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15451506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vartamin/pseuds/vartamin
Summary: Zuko’s eyes fluttered and he thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest, Katara looked earth-shattering spun in the ruby and gold of his homeland.Or, political parties are boring, serve too much wine and they're both kind of in love.





	tipsy

Katara walked up to him, strolling it would seem if it weren’t for the slight imbalance and telltale swagger of an almost drunk. Zuko paused in his conversation with an overzealous official. The gala had been a celebration with all politics foregone but he somehow still found himself downing one too many glasses of wine to combat the flooding headache from the official’s droning voice and condescension. Something about the colonies, he assumed, as were all matters recently. But he was tired, exhausted even, and found it harder and harder to focus on the politician’s words, his responses following a range of slight ‘hmm’s and grunts. He supposed that was partly because of the alcohol.

Zuko watched Katara come closer, lips twitched up in almost a smile, his first one that night. And she smiled back, all teeth; big and beautiful like everything else about her. She had already abandoned her last cup to teeter on the edge of a table, payed it no mind as she made her way over until she stood close in front of him.

“Hello.” He said, a soft, warm thing from deep within his chest.

“Hi.” She mimicked, voice smooth and careful as she stared him in the eye.

They stood in silence, staring at each other and made not one move. He liked the way her eyes seemed so clear and blue, as if they carried the clear day and sky. He liked the way she was so refreshing, how he suddenly had the energy to save the world and then some. Katara tipped her head a bit to the side and grinned a bit. His chest filled with warmth.

The official hadn't noticed the lack of attention and carried on, but they couldn't hear him. Zuko sipped at his wine gently, just a small movement to fill the space. His eyes never left Katara’s and as he lowered his glass she caught his elbow with slightly fumbling fingers wrapped around his forearm. Katara took a couple small steps forward and wrapped her hands around his, struggling with the stem of the glass in between. Zuko raised his other hand and entwined their fingers tightly, he swore if she stepped away he’d be swaying on his feet.

Katara smiled again and his heart picked up, stammering in his chest where words wouldn't come. She released his other hand, brought their entwined fingers to her mouth and kissed them softly before dropping them to let their hands hang between them, swinging a bit. “Hello.” She said quietly.

Zuko’s eyes fluttered and he thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest. “Hi.” He said again.

They let their hands swing lightly between them for a while before Katara moved. She let go and Zuko was sad, he missed the way her fingers curved into his, he missed her skin and he tried not to pout.

But Katara raised her now empty hand to his face, cupped it just under his scar. Her thumb caressed the seam between skin and scar and he let her, his eyes closed and he leaned into it searching for warmth. His hand came to her wrist, encircled it, anchored it there. Zuko opened his good eye slowly, fingered the half full glass in his other hand and downed it after staring Katara in the eye a couple seconds. He made a bit of a face at the taste, nose scrunched up and Katara giggled at him; for he was still young and the alcohol was bitter down his throat. But his courage came liquid tonight.

With the empty glass he swung out his arm into the chest of the official that had been hounding him all night. Giving him his empty cup with the pompous air of the royal he was raised as. Katara giggled at that too, but his eyes had never left hers.

After the official had scurried away, confused, irritated and perhaps a bit embarrassed, Zuko let his free arm come to rest on Katara’s hip. He turned his head into her palm, gave it the barest of kisses, a chaste press of lips before his hand moved from on her wrist to cover her hand where it lay just beneath his scar.

He once more pressed his lips into her hand before Katara slid it to his neck, played with the hair at his nape before she sighed and leaned forward until her forehead hit his chest. She was on her toes, leaning in a steep diagonal forward with her hands fisted in his Firelord robes.

Zuko’s eyes softened and he carded his fingers through her hair, catching once on her hair loops before adjusting. The world was quiet to him except for Katara’s slow breathing and the slight shift of waves in her hair. He had so enjoyed her recent months with him in the Fire Nation. She had come to him after a messy end to her relationship with Aang, looking for a home and he couldn't refuse. Katara had been named Ambassador of the Water Tribes and Zuko found she fit quite nicely into her role, she was happy with both something to do and somewhere to come back to.

Zuko thought she looked earth-shattering spun in the ruby and gold of his homeland.

It took a while, a couple minutes maybe just standing there and swaying slightly, before Katara mumbled something into the fabric of his robes, too quiet to hear.

“Huh?” Zuko said, all noble eloquence lost to the slow thickness of his tongue.

Katara raised her head, pouting her lower lip, and pulled herself up from leaning so heavily against his chest. “I think I love you.” She said, a bit petulant and entirely too beautiful.

Zuko almost tipped over backwards, it felt like he had suddenly been plunged in deep ocean, water cottoning everything but the sound of his heart racing. He blinked once, twice. “Oh,” he said softly, “me too.” He thought he would never quite be able to describe what he felt for her, but this was a start.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Is this an old drabble?? Not really, but I thought I'd air it out anyways. Give it a taste of the spotlight as I figure out what the heck I'm doing with the big ole Bite Me story. Seriously, plot sucks, wish I had more of it.


End file.
